University of Oklahoma Athletics
Monday, January 20
Waco, Texas
8:00 PM
University of Oklahoma
at
Baylor
Photo by: Ty Russell
Sooners Battle Baylor on Big Monday
January 19, 2020 | Men's Basketball
Oklahoma
2 Baylor
Monday, Jan. 20 / 8 p.m. CT / Waco, Texas
The Bears enter the matchup with 14-game winning streak and a perfect 8-0 record inside Ferrell Center. Baylor owns one of the toughest defenses in the country (58.6 opponent points per game) while the Sooners boast one of the best scoring trios in the college basketball.
A win would give Oklahoma its first ever true road win over a top-two team in the AP Top-25.
ON THE AIR
• The Monday matchup will air on the Sooner Radio Network (107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Tune In Radio App) with Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry announcing.• Bob Wischusen, Fran Fraschilla and Holly Rowe will call the action on ESPN. Fans with proper cable verification can stream the game on the Watch ESPN app.
THREE POINTERS
• Oklahoma boasts the top scoring trio in the Big 12 and one of the best in the country in senior forward Kristian Doolittle (16.4 points per game), junior forward Brady Manek (15.3) and junior guard Austin Reaves (15.1). All three Sooners rank in the top eight of the Big 12's scoring race - led by Doolittle with the fourth-highest scoring average in the league. Oklahoma is the only major-conference school with three players averaging over 15 points.• Junior forward Brady Manek is coming off a career performance in Saturday's win against TCU. The junior scored a career-high 31 points (10-of-15 shooting, 7-of-9 from 3-point range) to elevate his career scoring total to 1,001 points. He is the 46th Sooner to score 1,000 career points in an Oklahoma uniform. His 31 points are tied for the most by a Big 12 player this season and are the most by a Sooner since Trae Young scored 32 against West Virginia on Feb. 5, 2018. His seven 3-pointers also marked a career high and are the most by a Sooner since Young. Manek's teammate Kristian Doolittle is 24 points shy of also joining the 1,000-point club with 976 career points to his name.
• Oklahoma has seen encouraging performances from its backcourt recently in sophomore Jamal Bieniemy and freshman De'Vion Harmon. After averaging 2.9 points on 17.3% shooting over nine games from Nov. 21 – Jan. 4, Bieniemy has averaged 7.5 points (55% shooting), 4.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds over his last four games. Harmon, who returned to the starting lineup on Tuesday against Kansas, has totaled 34 points over his last three games and enters Monday's game with three straight games of double-digit scoring.
SERIES HISTORY
• OU owns a 45-17 record over the Bears, including a 19-9 advantage in Waco. The Sooners are on the hunt for their first win in Waco since 2016.• The Sooners are 8-9 against the Bears during the Lon Kruger era and are looking to snap a three-game losing streak against Baylor. OU last defeated the Bears on Jan. 30, 2018 in Norman.
• The Bears swept the Sooners last season for just the fourth time in program history (OU has swept Baylor 16 times).
LOOKING BACK AT SATURDAY'S WIN
• Oklahoma claimed a 20-point win over TCU behind a career performance by junior forward Brady Manek. The Harrah, Okla., native produced a career-high 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting that included a career-best seven 3-pointers on nine attempts. Manek added nine rebounds in his 33 minutes of action.• Manek's performance elevated his career total to 1,001 career points. He becomes the 46th player in program history to score 1,000 career points in a Sooner uniform.
• Manek's 31 points are tied for the most by a Big 12 player this season and are the most by a Sooners since Trae Young scored 32 against West Virginia on Feb. 5, 2018. Manek's seven 3-pointers are the most a Sooner since Young sunk eight at Oklahoma State on Jan. 20, 2018. Manek joins an elite group of Sooners to score at least 30 points in recent years. Since the start of the 2014-15 season, only Buddy Hield (13 times), Trae Young (nine times) and Manek have scored 30 in a game for Oklahoma.
• Oklahoma dished out 20 assists - its second most of the season. Sophomore guard Jamal Bieniemy led the way with a season-high seven dimes.
• The Sooners' field goal percentage of 53.7% was also the second best of the year.
• Junior guard Austin Reaves stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists.
• The 20-point victory is OU's largest margin of victory in a Big 12 game since defeating Iowa State by 21 (81-60) on March 2, 2018.
• Oklahoma has won five straight against TCU and is now 13-0 all-time against the Frogs in Norman.
WHAT'S WITH THE SHOES?
• As part of Suits and Sneakers Week (Jan. 20-26), the Oklahoma coaching staff will join coaches around the country in wearing sneakers during the game to raise awareness about the American Cancer Society's fight against cancer. The iniative is organized by Coaches vs. Cancer - a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).• The Sooner coaching staff will be wearing OU-branded CP3.XII shoes from Jordan Brand during games on Monday and Saturday this week.
• Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger was named council chair of Coaches vs. Cancer in 2018 and has been a member of the Coaches vs. Cancer Council since 2007. As the council chair, Kruger is not only an advocate for the organization, but partners with a presitgous list of fellow council members that includes the likes of Jay Bilas, Jim Boeheim, Jim Calhoun, Mike Krzyzewski, Tubby Smith, Norm Stewart and Roy Williams.
• Kruger has been a longtime supporter of the American Cancer Society. As founder and chairman of the Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic, Kruger's leadership has helped the event raise over $5 million over the last 12 years – including over $3 million net in the past three years alone.
• In 2017, Kruger was a recipient of the American Cancer Society's prestigious St. George National Award for his extraordinary service to the community in support of the Society's mission to save lives and lead the fight for a world without cancer. Kruger was also recognized in 2012 with the Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award and in 2009 with the Legacy and Leadership Visionary Award from the ACS Las Vegas region.
• Since its inception, Coaches vs. Cancer has raised over $115 million to support the American Cancer Society and save lives. Thanks to Coaches vs. Cancer supporters, the American Cancer Society is providing hope to millions of cancer patients and their families. The Society offers free rides to treatment, a live 24/7 helpline, and free lodging near hospitals for people dealing with every type of cancer.
QUICK HITS
• Should the Bears still be ranked No. 2 in Monday's AP Top 25 poll, they will be the highest-ranked team the Sooners have faced since No. 2 Virginia in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.• Oklahoma's last victory over a team ranked in the top-two of the AP Top 25 was against No. 1 Kansas in the 2002 Big 12 Tournament Championship.
• The Sooners have never defeated a top-two team in a true road game since the Associated Press poll was introduced in 1949.
• OU is 0-1 against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 during time of competition this season.
• Oklahoma is 5-4 in games away from home this season, including 2-3 in true road games.
• OU leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage, making 76.9% of its shots from the foul stripe. The Sooners, who shot free throws at a 69.7% rate in 2018-19, rank 18th in the country in 2019-20. OU boasts the third best free throw percentage among schools from major conferences.
• In addition to their success at shooting at the foul line, the Sooners have also shown discipline in keeping their opponents off the charity stripe. Oklahoma commits only 13.0 personal fouls per game – the third fewest in the country. OU opponents are shooting an average of 12.9 foul shots per game, compared to OU's 19.4 free throw attempts.
• The Sooners discipline is on display on the offesnive end as well. Oklahoma is turning the ball over just 10.5 times per game, which ranks third in the nation. Virginia Tech (9.5) and Notre Dame (9.8) are the only major-conference teams turning the ball over less.
• Sometimes the key to victory is as simple as making shots. The Sooners are 11-0 this season when they have a better field goal percentage than their opponents.
• OU is 11-2 when holding its opponents to under 80 points.
• After reaching 1,000 career points on Saturday, junior forward Brady Manek approaches another milestone. With 159 career 3-pointers, Manek is 11 shy of cracking OU's top-10 list for careers 3-point field goals. Ryan Minor currently sits in 10th with 170 made treys. Buddy Hield holds the Sooner record with 349.
• Manek is the only player in Division I men's basketball averaging at least 2.5 made 3-pointers and 1.2 blocks.
• Junior guard Austin Reaves is second in scoring among Big 12 newcomers with 15.1 points per game.
BRADY SCORES IN BUNCHES
• The Sooners almost always have team success on nights that junior forward Brady Manek is rolling. During his career, OU is 37-15 when Manek scores in double figures, 23-5 when he scores at least 15 points and 11-3 when he hit four or more 3-pointers.• Dating back to last season, Manek has scored in double figures in 28 of his last 33 games – including 15 of 17 games this season.
• Manek is the newest member of Oklahoma's 1,000-point club, joining the prestigous group with a career-high 31 points against TCU on Jan. 18. His performance was highlight by shooting 7-of-9 from 3-point range. His 31 points are tied for the most by a Big 12 player this season and are the most by a Sooner since Trae Young.
• Manek enters Monday's game with 1,001 career points – tied for the 44th most in program history. He has started in 51 straight games for the Sooners.
• Manek entered his junior year as the Sooners' leading returning scorer. With 741 career points coming into the season, he is just the 10th player in OU history to reach 700 career points by the end of a sophomore season. In the last 27 years, only four Sooners have scored more total points as underclassmen (freshman + sophomore seasons) than Manek: Blake Griffin (1,278), Trae Young (876), Willie Warren (868) and Buddy Hield (756).
• Manek is one of 20 players the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame named to its watch list for the 2020 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award. Named after two-time NBA MVP Karl Malone, the annual honor recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men's college basketball.
NEXT UP: MISSISSIPPI STATE
• The Sooners step away from Big 12 play for a day of conference pride when all 10 Big 12 squads take part in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Oklahoma will hosts Mississippi State at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. The non-conference showdown is slated for a 1 p.m. CT tip on an ESPN network that is to be determined.• The Sooners are looking for their first-ever win over Mississippi State, who is leading the all-time series 3-0. The two teams have not met since a neutral site games in New Orleans in 2002.
• Oklahoma is 4-2 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge with previous wins over LSU, Missouri, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt while falling to Florida and Alabama. Oklahoma won last's year matchup with Vanderbilt, 86-55.
• OU is 12-9 against current SEC teams in the Kruger era, including 10-5 against schools which were SEC members at the time of competition. The Sooners have won four straight games against SEC schools, including a 77-66 win over Missouri earlier this season.
• Saturday's matchup is the first of two home games the Sooners will play in downtown Oklahoma City at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Oklahoma will also host Texas Tech in the venue on Feb. 25. The game is included in OU's season ticket package and single-game tickets are available starting at just $10.
• Oklahoma owns a 14-6 record when playing at Chesapeake Energy Arena and is 5-1 in the Lon Kruger era. The Sooners are 13-4 when playing in an NBA arena under Kruger.
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